by Haley Travis
Alison nodded, looking around at the bare drywall frame, and cheap plywood furniture. “It’s awfully beige,” she murmured, almost to herself.
Looking around, I realized that the entire room was basically gray and beige except for the people and a few red or blue take out coffee cups. “You’re right. It’s temporary,” I said, looking around slowly, “but yeah, you have a point.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said nervously, “it’s not my place to say anything.”
“It’s okay,” I said gently, not even realizing that my hand was on her shoulder. “If you were to add some color in here, how would you do that in a cheap, temporary way?”
She paused, looking at me very carefully.
“I’d really like to hear your ideas,” I said.
Alison nodded slowly. “The dull fluorescent lighting bounces badly on cream tones. The whole place is bleak. If you were to even tack up a handful of nature posters across that wall,” she pointed, “you could get some energy into this room for about forty dollars. The tack holes would be filled in when you painted, right?”
Staring at the wall, I could visualize exactly what she meant. “You’re right.”
She spun to face me with her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be pushy. I just read an article on workplace energy, and how to improve office morale. Most people are stressed these days. Anything that can be both calming and energetic is helpful, right?”
Her concern for people she didn’t even know was heartwarming. “It’s a great idea,” I said. “That can be your first job when you start Monday, okay? Finding a selection of gigantic cheap nature posters.”
Her little grin was my new favorite thing in the world.
Leading her down the hallway, we reached the main boardroom where Luther and his team were cleaning up. “Hey boss,” he nodded. “Just wanted to get your approval before this stuff sets.”
Alison and I stood back by the window, taking in the long sculpture wall. The concrete relief was designed to look craggy, like the side of a rocky mountain.
I pointed to a photo that was propped up on a chair. “That’s the mockup they’re copying. When it’s painted, it should look like that,” I explained. “What do you think?”
I loved how quickly she became serious and analytical. “I think it’s perfect,” she said, smiling sweetly to the workmen. “You guys did an amazing job. It looks a bit flatter than the rendering, but that will actually make it safer. People will be less likely to back up against it. Most of the visual depth will come out through the paint.”
Luther nodded, flashing her a huge smile even though he had no idea who she was. “That’s exactly what we were going for, Miss.”
“Well, you heard Alison,” I said. “It’s perfect. Great job, folks. Try to leave an hour early today if you can.”
As I escorted her back down the hall, she asked, “Did I overstep any bounds?”
“Absolutely not. I wanted your opinion, and you gave it. I hope you’ll always be honest with me.”
As soon as we were in the elevator, I let the doors close, but didn’t press our floor. She looked up at me with those wide, innocent eyes, looking so beautifully curious, as her fingers fussed with the fabric of her skirt. I had the distinct impression that we were having the same effect on each other, and the overwhelming need to find out for sure immediately pushed me a step toward her.
“Do I make you nervous?” I asked.
She bit that beautiful bottom lip slightly. “All men make me a little nervous, but not really.”
Taking a step closer, I watched her eyes carefully. “Alison, would it make you nervous if I told you that you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?”
Her teeth released her lip, which fell slightly open as she froze.
“Once again, you’re speaking without speaking,” I smiled. “I need you to understand, I conduct myself in a professional manner at all times. Except for right now. Alison, I’ve had a feeling about you from the second I first saw you. This is totally separate from the employment situation. Just us as normal people. May I be ridiculously forward and kiss you?”
She didn’t answer, but she leaned toward me, her chin tipping up as her lips approached mine. That body language screamed that she wanted it. But I needed to hear her say it, to be sure.
“Say yes,” I breathed.
No air actually left her lungs, but she clearly mouthed the word, “Yes.”
My arm slid around her as I pulled us together, my mouth settling over hers as we melted against each other. Her hands reached around the back of my neck as her lips parted, deepening our kiss.
Suddenly our knees lurched at the same time as the elevator began moving. She jumped away from me, blushing scarlet.
I held my hand on her back as I noticed we were going up, then looked down to see with relief that she was wearing low heeled boots, not high heels. “Want to see the construction zone for a second?”
She nodded eagerly. I released her just before the doors opened, her smile lighting up my heart as she stepped out, her eyes full of wonder as she took in the chaos, the concrete, and the open space.
Turning to me, she whispered, “It’s been less than an hour, and this is already the best job ever.”
As much as I appreciated her enthusiasm, it was at that moment I realized how far I’d already fallen for this precious, determined young woman. She was everything I’d ever been looking for.
CHAPTER THREE
* Alison *
I had met so many guys who became less attractive the more they talked. They would be handsome at first, and then the more I got to know them, the less I liked them. Mark was the complete opposite.
Every person we passed, he had something nice to say to them. He seemed to know the details of what every single employee was working on, and even asked several people about their spouses or pets.
He was kind, funny, and charming, without seeming to try at all. Also, from the way he casually touched my shoulder, laughed at everything I said, and looked into my eyes so sweetly, this was feeling far more like a date than a job situation.
My frazzled mind could not even process that incredible kiss in the elevator. Although short, there was a lingering heat I could still feel against my lips.
I could forgive him for being unprofessional, but could I forgive myself? I really needed a good job, and getting involved with the boss wasn’t smart. For the moment, I’d just have to get through the day and figure it out.
After Mark was finished checking in with everyone and we had taken a look around , we went back to the elevator. I had to ask, “How on earth do you remember so many details about everyone?”
He flashed me an absolutely stunning grin. “I work really hard at it, to be honest,” he said. “I have an excellent memory, but I also sort of file people by group. While we’re in this building, I probably couldn’t remember many details about people at our north office. But on this job site, everything creates a big web of information in my brain, I guess.”
“That’s amazing,” I said. “ You have a lot of great people here.”
“That’s one of my missions,” he said. “Great team members. When I’m hiring people, I look at the person more than the details of their resume. If there’s some element of the job where they don’t have the experience, we can get them some training. But you can’t teach someone how to be a good, sharp person. You know what I mean?”
I nodded as he let me out of the elevator. “Yes. I had mistakenly thought that a f amily company would be a nice place to work, but they certainly weren’t good people.”
Mark shrugged, leading us down the bare bones hallway that was only partially finished. “Family companies are tricky. The thing about family is that you’re stuck with them. You didn’t choose them. With coworkers and friends, it’s your decision to bring them into your world.”
I thought about it for a moment. There weren’t very many people in my life who would stick thei
r neck out for me, or cause a scene to protect me. Yet Mark had taken one look at the situation and gotten me out of there.
Was he the sort of man who looks for a damsel in distress? Or did he just notice little things? I found Mark completely captivating, but had to wonder what he saw in me.
“Hey,” Mark said gently, “You seem a million miles away. Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I smiled. Funny how I was becoming so relaxed around him so quickly. “I’m fine, thanks.”
“I know that switching jobs so suddenly must be strange,” he said. “I’m going to go through your resume as soon as I can, and we’ll find you something great. Okay?”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
“Good. May I take you out?” His smile was pure confidence, which made me feel the urge to agree with him no matter what he said.
“Um...sure? Where?”
“I completely burst in and upended your life today,” he chuckled. “The least I can do is make sure you have a good dinner. Anywhere you like.”
“Oh. Thank you.” He looked at me expectantly, but I was too shy to admit that I didn’t know many of the restaurants downtown. I usually just went within a three-block radius of my apartment if I ever went out.
“I’d be fine eating anywhere,” I said, regretting that I sounded so indecisive.
“What sort of food do you like?”
“Everything, more or less.”
Mark laughed, then stared into space for a moment. “I’ve got it! I know a New Orleans-themed place that has Cajun food, and a great wine selection.”
I loved the way his smile lit up his dark eyes, showing off the light brown flecks. “Sounds perfect.”
As we drove to the restaurant, I tried not to sneak too many looks at his incredible profile. I’d never been so close to such a gorgeous man, and it was throwing off the rhythm of my pulse if I looked at him for more than a few seconds. But I’m pretty sure that he was sneaking glances at me as well.
Mark tucked an arm around me as we went into the restaurant, and requested the booth in the far corner, in the quietest section. Before I even knew what was happening, we were sitting close beside each other, half-hidden, selecting a bottle of wine.
As soon as we ordered some appetizers, I felt his large hand on my knee. “Alison, I know I’m being too forward, but the more I look at you, the more I can’t keep my distance.”
Turning to face him a bit more, I could feel his warmth. The way he was looking into my eyes was sending a very clear message. For some bizarre reason, this gorgeous man wanted me.
I argued with myself for what felt like an eternity, mentally screaming that it was unprofessional to become involved with the boss, and I had always sworn to put my career first.
Three seconds later, I leaned in to meet his soft kiss as his arm slid around me, holding me close. My lips parted, as he gently glided his mouth over mine, both controlling and deepening the kiss.
My tiny gasp seemed to amuse him. Tilting my head back, he lightly kissed down my throat, then back up to murmur in my ear, “So beautiful and sweet. Alison, you are absolutely breathtaking.”
I jumped when I heard the clink of glassware on the table. Our server looked apologetic, quickly pouring our wine and disappearing again to give us some privacy.
Mark chuckled. “Poor Nancy. Don’t worry, I come here often enough that she’ll forgive me. I’ll give her a huge tip to make up for the embarrassment.”
“Do you bring all of your dates here?” The instant the words were out of my mouth, I regretted saying them.
“I come here for fun team meetings once in a while. I haven’t bothered dating in years,” he said. Pulling away, he handed me my wine glass. “Or should I say, I don’t bother dating unless it’s someone truly special.”
We clinked our glasses together, then settled into an absolutely fabulous dinner with absolutely fabulous conversation. It turned out that we had a lot to chat about. We were both a bit fussy, a bit driven, and loved screwball British comedies.
The more we talked, the more we discovered that we had odd little details in common. We both preferred using a pencil to scribble the first draft of anything, and we both loved to-do lists. We both listened to rain sounds when it was hard to sleep. We both agreed that green was the worst color for bathrooms.
“I usually leave all of the color theory business to my interior designers,” Mark chuckled, “But looking at yourself in the mirror when you’re surrounded by green makes most people look sickly.”
“Exactly,” I laughed. “Especially first thing in the morning, when we’re already looking a little rough.”
He smiled as his fingers reached out to trail along my cheekbone, then around my jaw. “I can’t imagine you ever looking rough,” he said softly. “You have such a light inside you, Alison.”
He shook his head, laughing at himself. “I’m sorry, I know that sounds like the cheesiest line ever. But it’s true.”
In that tiny moment, as the big tough man admitted that he was a bit cheesy and didn’t care, I knew that I was already falling far too hard for him. For the first time in my life, I was losing all control.
And I was fine with it.
CHAPTER FOUR
* Mark *
Alison was so easy to talk to, I already felt completely comfortable with her. She wasn’t uptight, or trying to impress me. So far, she seemed unconcerned about there being more than a working relationship between the two of us.
Somewhere very soon down the road we needed to have a serious conversation about that, but for now, things seemed to be going wonderfully.
As I drove her home, I couldn’t stop touching her knee or grabbing her hand. I needed to feel connected to her. How odd that such a sweet young woman was making me feel so desperate.
When we got to her apartment I tried not to let the disappointment show, but I guess my face betrayed me. The building was pretty run down, and I couldn’t help but want better for her.
“I know, it’s not much,” she said nervously, “But it’s cheap enough that I can afford to live alone.”
“You need your personal space?”
“Yes. I read a lot, and it’s impossible to do that if you have a roommate who’s always watching loud TV or playing video games full of explosions in the living room.”
“I can understand that,” I said. She seemed surprised that I was getting out of the car with her. “May I walk you to your door?”
Alison paused, watching my eyes. It was obvious that I wanted to step inside for a proper good night kiss. For half a second, I didn’t know what I’d do if she turned me down. After realizing that we had embarrassed the server during dinner, I had forced myself to keep my hands off her. But now I needed her. I had to make sure that the connection between us was real. I needed a goodnight kiss that would knock us both into tomorrow.
“Sure,” she said softly, leading me into the dull beige lobby while I carried her shopping bag full of things from her old job.
Her apartment was much brighter than the drab exterior and lobby of the building – jewel tones mixed with neutrals created an earthy vibe . “I like thrift stores,” she smiled.
Closing the door behind us, I dropped her bag on the kitchen counter and pulled her into my arms as I murmured, “I like you.”
I could feel her catch fire immediately as I kissed her. Something overwhelming was already brewing between us. The way she kissed me back made my heart feel unsteady. Our connection was just too strong for two people who had just met. We were so perfect together, and I felt a strange prickle of hope she truly was the one.
As her soft lips parted, inviting my tongue in, I could feel that she wanted me as much as I wanted her. My arms darted around her, picking her up and carrying her to the couch, where I sat her on my lap.
“You’re terrible,” she giggled, before sinking straight back into our deep, warm kiss.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, as most of her body pressed against mine. As my ha
nd skimmed down her side to graze her hip , I felt a little gasp against my mouth.
A deep wave of pure need washed over me as I became terribly aware of how badly I needed to take her to the bedroom. But that was something I didn’t want to rush with such a sweet girl.
The way she was trembling slightly in my arms, I couldn’t quite tell whether she was nervous or excited. “Don’t worry, honey,” I murmured, “I’m going to kick myself out in just another minute.”
“I didn’t–”
I placed a finger over her lips. “I know things are moving quickly. But can you feel this?”
